A short YouTube clip in which Lauren Bateman explains why beginner guitarists’ playing often doesn’t match the recorded song: professional recordings have multiple instruments and layers (multiple guitarists, bass, drums, vocals), while beginners typically use simple strumming and may not sing. She advises focusing on mechanics—strumming and singing practice—to progressively get closer to the original sound.
Why doesn't it sound like the song? The thing in the beginning is, you know, some of these songs, like think of the Eagles, think of Fleetwood Mac. Oftentimes they have more than one guitar player. There's a bass player, there's drums, there's a singer. There's a lot of layers that go into making a song sound like a song. So if you're just a beginner, using very simple strumming patterns and you're not singing and you're just playing over a song, a lot of times it's not going to sound like the song. But don't let that frustrate you. Just focus on the mechanics. Focus on getting better. And as you improve your singing and strumming skills, eventually you'll be able to play songs that sound more and more like the original.
